Kolkata Knight Riders ... champs in IPL5

The Knights have arrived, in their shining armour, all set to begin their journey to being crowned champions of IPL 5. While every KKR fan eagerly awaits the team to walk out onto the battlefield, the Knights have been spending long hours on the greens of Eden, getting battle-ready. The team, under the watchful eye of Trevor Bayliss, has shaped into a force driven by commitment and passion. The three wise men Dr. Rudi Webster, Andrew Leipus and Adrian Le Roux are doing everything to ensure that the Knights are in peak form, mentally and physically, to take on the grueling challenge of IPL5.

Over the last 2 weeks, the Knights have been following a rigorous training regimen, including practice games. While Doeschate, Morgan and Shukla have exhibited belligerent batting form, Gambhir spent hours together in a huddle with the coaching team, discussing strategy and player performance. The captain took a day off to attend the IPL 5 opening extravaganza in Chennai, and is now back with the team, all set to lead from the front. All international players have arrived, with the exception of Brad Haddin and James Pattinson, the latter currently with the Australian team touring the West Indies, is expected to join the team later. The Knights are in full strength for their opening match against the Delhi Daredevils, and will play their first 6 matches in a span of 14 days.

Key Players

The mystery spinner Sunil Narine, was the most impressive player (with 24 wickets)as he produced many outstanding spells including a 5/19 (against Kings XI Punjab) which helped KKR reach the final of the prestigious T20 league.

Jacques Kallis' all-round performance was the key to team's success as he scored 409 runs and 15 wickets off 17 outings with impressive 2/7 in one of the matches.

Shakib Al Hasan was also impressive as he picked 12 wickets off just 8 matches with 3/17 being the best.

Gautam Gambhir was the top scorer for KKR with 590 runs off 17 matches at an average of 36.87 with a highest score of 93. He was one player the team could rely on as he performed throughout except the finals.

Brendon McCullum was the third highest run scorer for KKR with 289 runs off 12 matches with a highest score of 56.

Manvinder Bisla, though he doesn't feature among the top three, his contribution in the final was huge as the team chased a challenging target of 191 only because of his 48-ball 89. He has added 213 runs off 7 matches this season with a highest score of 89 in the final.

Kolkata Knight Riders, worthy of the title, have put in a lot of hard work in order to reach here. The team truly deserves the title as Gambhir often puts it, A successful team makes him a successful captain. Kudos to the team for achieving this feat.